Residents Pour In Gifts To Cadogan Home For Children

Community response to a plea from the Cat Cadogan Home for Children for money and other items for its new house has been ''overwhelming,'' according to an official of the home for abandoned children.

The Rev. Leonard Holt, acting director of the home in Washington Shores, said several Orlando-area residents have sent money, appliances and other items to the home, since an article appeared in The Orlando Sentinel last month detailing the home's plight.

Occupants of the home at 4027 Lenox Blvd. are being forced to relocate the facility because their landlords, Frontline Outreach Inc., have refused to renew their lease. Frontline, a Christian youth ministry, informed Cadogan officials that they had 45 days to move just after the death of Katherine ''Mama Cat'' Cadogan.

Frontline board members have decided to lease the home to a former Frontline official who plans to start a home for children on the property. Frontline, the former Tom Skinner Club, had rented the property to the Cadogan organization for $1 a year since 1982. That arrangement was binding as long as Cadogan lived in the home.

Cadogan directors found a new place to house the six children, ages 8 to 16, but they said they couldn't move into the new house until essential items were donated or money raised to buy those items. They must leave behind a 15- passenger van, most of the furniture and all of the major appliances because those items belong to Frontline.

During the past two weeks, the home has received donations of kitchen appliances, utensils and furniture; clothing, building material, cash and pledges totaling several thousand dollars, Holt said. He said other contributions are continuing to come in.

Holt, pastor of Carter Tabernacle CME Church, said the organization now has enough money and items to move into its new quarters on Cypress Street and operate it proper ly. The six-bedroom duplex, near Washington Shores, is being renovated. The organization is waiting for the property to be rezoned for multiple dwelling before it can move into the west Orange home, Holt said. Cadogan officials will appear before the county planning and zoning board April 18 to request the zoning change.

Meantime, Holt said the children and officials have started packing items in preparation of the move.

''We'll be ready to move immediately after we get zoning approval,'' he said.